A few weeks ago I had the chance to do something I love doing, something I haven't had the time or, to be totally honest, the desire to do for a long time. I went on a Road Trip.Now, don't get me wrong. I'm in the car a lot. A whole lot. Either running errands, or taking my girls to practice or a friend's house, or sitting shotgun while teaching my son to drive (heck, sometimes I even do all of the above at the same time *g*). But it's been a good long while since I had somewhere to go outside my county's limits.
That all changed when I discovered my Senior Editor was speaking at Toronto Romance Writers - yes, that's in Toronto. A city with 4.5 million people. How do I know that's the population? Because my husband told me. A dozen times. In fact, here's just a sample of what he said to me before I left:
"For the love of all that's good in the world, don't plot a book while you're driving in Toronto. You really need to pay attention to what you're doing! There are 4.5 million people there."
And:
"Remember that one time when you picked up pizza for dinner at the pizzeria down the road and got in the wrong car and didn't even notice until you'd sat there a minute trying to figure out what was different? Well, please don't do that in Toronto. You know, there are 4.5 million people there. Leave their cars alone."
And also:
"Yes, I know you claim you're not lost when you drive aimlessly around a large city you're unfamiliar with - but just because you know you're in Canada, doesn't mean you know which direction to go in order to get home. Please take a map of the city with you. They've got enough people in Toronto (4.5 million) they don't need you living there too."
After this helpful advice, of course I was excited to get going. *g* And, as I'm no dummy, I decided to take someone with me to keep me company and help with the driving and navigate those big city streets. So, I took my son :-) Which was a great idea except, well, he's 16 which means his conversational skills could use some work, he only has his permit and there was no way I was letting him drive on those 8 lane highways (we only have the regular old 4 lanes of highways here - 2 on each side. Trust me, it's much safer) but he was an Ace as Chief Navigator! And he brought along some good CDs so we had classic rock tunes to listen to all the way up and back ;-)
It was a very successful road trip! My Senior Editor was a great speaker and the Toronto Chapter was warm and welcoming (even though I left in a hurry to avoid getting home too late), my son (despite my earlier teasing) was great company and he did drive part way. *g* Best of all, it brought back memories of the many road trips I've taken in my life and how I've evolved and changed.
During the late 80's/early 90's, I'd listen to 80's hair bands on the tape player of my Ford Escort while driving the 90 miles home from school. I'd munch on cheese popcorn or Combos (Combos are still a family road trip favorite) and chocolate milk (regular, none of that low fat stuff for me back then). My metabolism rocked in the 80's!!
The 90's brought with it three kids (I'm still not sure how I got them - although I'm starting to suspect they're to blame for my metabolism going to pot) and car seats. We'd pile in our mini-van and head to the beach as we snacked on animal crackers and juice boxes. Of course the windows were rolled down as the air conditioner didn't work but that's okay. That just meant everyone could hear Chumbawumba (anyone else remember them?) singing about getting knocked down and back up again. We liked to share the joy. *g*
A few years back the entire family went to Virginia to visit friends. About three hours into the trip, we stopped for lunch only to discover our son (then 12) had forgotten his shoes. We're still not sure how it happened - all we know is he thought he'd save time by putting his shoes on in the car once we were on our way (as opposed to actually wearing them out of the house) but never grabbed them. Luckily we were by a mall and able to pick him up some cheap sneakers. *g*What about you, dear Readers? Do you love Road Trips? Or does the idea of being cooped up in a car for more than 30 minutes give you the heebie jeebies? What's your favorite traveling music? Snacks? We'd love it if you shared your favorite Road Trip memory ;-)
47 comments:
La lalalalalalalala....
Congrats Joan have fun with him
Loved the post Beth I love road trips hubby and I have been on a lot before kids and with the kids,when they were young we used to bring book tapes for them to listen to and some good seventies music as they got older they had their own walkmans and we listened to our rock and roll.
The last road trip we went on was about a year ago and hubby and I drove to my sisters place in Queensland about 12 to 13 hours drive we went up the New England Highway stopped when we felt like a bit of a walk had some great CD's Eagles Rod Stewart and some mixed hits CD's we had minties chips and pepsi max and on the way back we came down the Coast Road with the same music and snacks. Love the fact that you can stop and look at whatever takes your fancy along the way.
We plan on going again sometime this year and are really looking forward to it.
Have Fun
Helen
Beth, cool post! Hope your Senior Editor appreciated the effort you made to get there.
I'd love to say I like road trips but I prefer just to get there. My most interesting road trips have happened on Fraser Island, a sand island off the coast of Australia, where a dingo really can steal your baby if you're not careful. Racing the rising tide after dark on our way back from an aborted camping trip was probably the most memorable one for me. Oh, and the Great Ocean Road, which I blogged about a while back:)
Joanie T!!! Congrats on nabbing the Golden Rooster. He'll be right at home with those luscious Romans of yours.
We need to get us a GR hall of fame. I think Jennifer R would score well and Helen, too.
Joanie, congrats on nabbing the GR! um...does he have to go on rounds with you today or is he staying home eating Peeps? For the GR is that like eating gingerbread men is for us? *g*
Beth, I love road trips! I will drive absolutely anywhere. I usually end up doing most or all the driving, as well. I'm not a good passenger, due to motion sickness, though some days are better than others.
It certainly wasn't my favorite road trip, but the most memorable was the one my younger sister and I were forced to take after 9/11. We were in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and trying desperately to find a way back to the USA. We dropped our weekly rental off in Halifax at the airport, hired another car to drive to the ferry terminal at Yarmouth, took the high seed ferry to Bar Harbor, Maine, managed to secure a rental car (only by the grace of God) to drive to NC. We did stop overnight in Bar Harbor and again at another sister's house in Lansdale, PA.
That was a weird, freaky trip, but at least we got to drive through New England and through the mountains in late September, so it was pretty.
Oh, I am not a good traveler, I don't get motion sickness anymore but I can't stay awake, and my feet cramp. When my daughter was in NC and I had a car that could make the trip I had a heck of a time trying to drive back, going down was okay but coming back was not good.
That was about the only road trips I ever took as an adult.
Joan, way to go! :)
Beth, road trips were all I knew growing up; we drove to all our camping spots. And once my mom and dad pulled us out of school and we spent two weeks driving down the coast from Seattle to San Fransisco. It was amazing. More parents should do that.
We had a very fun road trip to Colorado with our three girls a couple of years ago (thank God for my Suburban, despite the cost of gas.) Their funniest memory? Opening the yogert cups once in Colorado, only to have them explode--air pressure! A science lesson thrown in for free! ;)
Congrats on the GR Joan! :-)
Beth, my parents LOVED road trips. I grew up in California and they would take us EVERYWHERE!! Vegas, Mexico, Dallas, Lake Tahoe, San Fransisco, San Diego, New York, Miami....lets just say if they built it, we would go! :-)
So, as an adult, I find that I'm NOT a fan of road trips. Everyone gets cranky, the constant stops, the bickering...yeah, none for me thanks. We made the mistake of driving up to New York and Canada from here in Florida. 19 hours. Thank goodness for portable DVD players!
I absolutely love road trips! But I have to drive most of the time as I tend to get car sick very easily.
My favorite road trip memory is of when I was about 8. We lived in southern Florida and drove to Indiana to visit my mother's family. We drove straight through. I think it was around 24 hours. I distinctily remember arriving in the Atlanta area around 4 a.m. and stopping at the Waffle House for breakfast. When the waitress brought our food, there was this *stuff* on the plate with my eggs and hashbrowns. She called them grits. And they were so gross!!!!! To this day I still won't eat them.
congrats on nabbing the GR this morning, Joan!
Fun post Beth! When I was first out of nursing school I traveled by myself 100 miles from Columbus to Cincinnati to visit nursing friends. It was a great trip with a 2-day slumber party in the middle!
Road trips can be great fun! I live about 1100 miles from my parents, so when we drive it's a 2-day effort. (I prefer to fly), but I tend to snooze a lot in the passenger seat.
I just go finished downloading pictures from a trip with writer friends to visit another friend up in Missouri. We had a great time and seeing the pictures brought back those fun memories!
Congrats, Joan! Maybe the GR will talk you into making some of your delicious chocolate chip cookies for him *g* Or you could just make some for me ;-)
Helen, your last road trip sounds wonderful! I love when you can take your time and stop whenever the mood strikes. And isn't that usually when you stumble upon a great find like a wonderful antique store or family owned diner? (do they have diners in Australia?)
Christine, when my kids were very little, I did often prefer to just get where we were going - and so did they *g* You've had some very exciting road trips though. If I ever get to Australia, I'm going to avoid Fraser Island :-)
Caren, I'm the same way! I do a lot of driving since I get motion sick and I absolutely can not ride in the back for long periods of time.
Your most memorable road trip must've been so surreal! I can't imagine how thankful you must've been just to get home.
Dianna, for me, the trip home always seems so much shorter. I'm fine driving by myself for the most part but I admit, by the time I got home from Toronto, I was bone tired. Trying to navigate the heavy traffic and the snow (Snow I'm used to, but traffic? Not so much) wiped me out!
Gillian, the exploding yogurt cups had me LOL! I'm sure that's one memory your girls will never forget *g* And I'd love to be able to take my family on a two week road trip! I tried to talk my husband into all of us driving to Dallas last year for RWA's national conference but he said no way :-)
brownone,sounds like you've had more than your fair share of road trips *g* And yes, portable DVD players (and iPods *g*) are LIFE SAVERS on road trips :-) But tell me, would you ever drive from Florida to NY in that short amount of time again? Was it worth it or would you prefer to stop mid-way next time?
Buffie, I feel the same way about grits! But you mentioning hashbrowns has me wanting to fry up a batch right now (yum!) I had my first experience when I was around 8 as well. We drove down to Orlando but my father would only drive each day until around supper time and that was it and then we'd find a hotel and spend the night *g*
Suz, your trips sound like so much fun - I love slumber parties (which is probably why I love going to National so much *g*)
When I was a new mom, I strapped my one year old son in his car seat, packed up the Escort and drove 240 miles to Harrisburg for a girlfriend's birthday party. I've always been glad we went because life just got busier and busier and the time to take such trips sort of disappeared.
Beth, first trips with kids can be great fun, too. When my kids were in elementary school we traveled from Ohio to Tenn for a family reunion. We got in the car at about 6 AM and my husband ran back in the house to get something.
So being the wise mom, I pointed to the digital clock and said, "Now, this is a long trip, so don't ask if we're there yet until the clock says 12:00. We won't be there, but we might be close."
My kids all nodded solmenly and settled back. When my dh climbed in the car, he put on his Bart Simpson voice, and said, "Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet?"
We all cracked up!
Hey, Beth!
I just discovered the BEST way to travel with my kids (1 & 4)--the TRAIN!! It's a 6-7 hour ride to Chicago from here (St Paul MN), but it feels like a day or two of endless torture when the kids are strapped down in the backseat.
But on a recent jaunt to visit my sister in Chicago, I ponied up a hundred bucks & took the train. What a revelation! The seats were HUGE & they had this awesome lounge car with giant glass windows & restaurant-like seating. I took the kids up there any time they got antsy to play cards, color, look at books, have a snack at an actual table...
I *was* a little startled to see people cracking beers at 9:30 a.m. in the lounge car, but then realized I was sharing the train with a contingent of folks heading to Chicago for a hockey game. They were tailgating the whole way there on the train. (Except for a few folks who looked like they regularly started drinking in the wee hours.)
Long story short--highly recommended method of travel for the little ones. All I had to do was entertain them & snack them instead of entertaining, snacking AND driving.
Congrats on the GR Joan!! He does love those gladiators!
Buffie, grits are an institution here in the South. Try them with lots of butter and cheese on top!
We took a road trip every summer when I was growing up (when we actually on this continent!)to Pennsylvania to visit my Dad's family. It was always an experience. Straight thru, no stops except to eat and for gas. If you had to pee you had better do it then. My Dad did NOT stop for bathroom breaks. Even the dog learned to hold it.
I use to move every two years from florida to wyoming or vice a versa. I'm not to keen on road trips anymore. It use to take us about 5-7 days of travel and that was just to much. Don't get me wrong there are tons of funny stories from my moving days. Being couped up in a car with your family you can't help but have them.
I remember this time we were moving back to Wyoming and my father was in his old bronco with a U-haul attached and my mother was in the truck pulling a travel trailer. We were in the middle of a big city with very heavy traffic and my father was weaving in and out of traffic. My mom couldn't keep up and didn't have the map we were basically playing follow the leader. So my mom got made pulled over to the side of the road and got the lawn chairs out of the back and my mom, sister, and I waited for my dad to come back. We must of looked like a bunch of hilbillies.
There was another time when we were stoped at a KOA and my parents bought some alcohol. My dad had a little bit and went to bed and my mom, sister and, bother decided to stay up drinking. My mom and sister and I went out for a walk and on the way back we saw what looked like a man peeing on our trailer. As we got closer it turned out my brother couldn't make it to his truck that he was going to sleep in that night. He was puking his guts out at the side of the trailer. Trying to get him back to his truck was such a funny choir I still laugh when I think about that night. He was so wasted and lstening to a Steve Martin comedy tape and laughing at everything. Steve Martin would say the word the and and he would die of laughter. It was a funny night and to see my dads face when he woke up and all of his wild turkey was gone was even better than my brothers drunkenness.
I'm a big time road-tripper though these days I take them because I have to instead of because I want to. I live on the east coast and the ex is in the middle of the country so that means a 500 mile trip to Knoxville and back about 6 to 8 times a year. At this point, I could do it in my sleep.
The funny thing is we've been doing trips like this since my daughter was 5 and at 8 she now gets antsy if we go a long time between trips. She loves the drive. I think she's crazy but then she's not the one driving. Yet.
Have to have my Michael Buble CDs as well as lots of country. And I always get some Peanut Butter M&Ms. Love those things.
I visited Toronto back in Dec. of '06 and luckily I didn't have to drive. I never would have survived that. Not only would the Kilometers per hour have thrown me off, those people are crazy!
The thing I like about road trips is the captive audience. You want to talk to your teen - go on a road trip. At least that worked before the invention of ipods and MP3 players. During the summer, I used to take a day trip with one of my kids every Friday. I'd give them a choice of five options - little out of the way museums, caves, local tourist attractions that would never make it big time. Then they had to navigate the way. I must admit it was tough sometimes not to say anything when they told me to turn the wrong way. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted them to figure it out. We always made our destinations - eventually - but the memories were worth it.
My parents were gypsies. They were truly at their happiest when locked into a car and driving somewhere far, far away. Being a kid, I was forced to go with them. Sigh.
I remember one trip to the Grand Canyon. My dad was driving, one hand on the wheel, the other hand doing nothing meaningful, the Grand Canyon suspiciously too close to the right wheels of the car, the gravel from the side of the curvy road careening down into the Big, Fat Hole. I thought we were going over for sure.
We didn't. I lived to tell the tale.
I love road trips! A few of my friends, my sister, and myself are trying to put together one this summer. I love long car rides. I sing, read, and talk about everything and anything. I love naps in the car too. I love looking at the sights and waving at people in other cars. I mostly listen to upbeat music and music that I know the words to because there is no way I'm not singing along. I like to find songs that everyone in the car knows. Spice Girls or N'Sync work for this and we all sing together.
I like to take my dogs for car rides too. They make it interesting and always have a fun time. They know that most likely they will get something good to eat if they come with me (ice cream or fast food sandwiches). They are so spoiled.
Road trips...lessee.
Never took them with my family, cuz my family never went anywhere. But I took one with my uncle to the gulf coast when I was little. I still remember getting INTO the car and being able to breathe just fine. Then getting out of the car near Mobile and COULD NOT BREATHE. It was my first trip to the Mobile/Pascagoula area. The first time I felt that so-thick-you-can't-breath-it, smells-and-tastes-like-paper-mills Bay air.
But the day I turned sixteen, I drove four hours across the state, by myself, to a music gig--so I've been road tripping for gigs alone and with bands since then..up through my mid twenties when I got married and quit.
I can drive pretty much anywhere and am not afraid and don't generally get lost. But after doing that for a "living" (not that there was any real living in it), sleeping on suitcases piled on top of amps and speakers in the backs of vans, a few times on buses when I actually had a real bed--those were heaven even if it was a cot mounted to the wall of the bus--most often in cars with my own gear in the back--I don't really enjoy it. I just want to BE there.
Short road trips are okay--there's a diner in central Kentucky my husband and I used to visit--required an hour and a half each way--we've been there every way you can get there according to the Kentucky map--and we'd go just to go. Have a diner burger from a greasy grill, and coffee from a Bunn coffee maker and drive back home.
But the long trips? Bleh. Playing gigs ruined those for me.
I love road trips, but the kids don't.
Beth, we live in north central Florida so it should usually be a 17 hour drive with a few stops for gas/bathrooms/food. We actually did stop on that trip (not overnight) and hung out in Washington DC for a while. I think I would like to do that sometime though. But there's always so much to do in New York (family, shopping, sightseeing) that we always just want to GET there!
Oh, I don't know how many of you have made that trip but has anyone ever REALLY stopped at "South of the Border"? We did. It was 9pm on a Sunday night and everything was closed! I guess Pedro went home. :-)
ROAD TRIP!!!! I love road trips! :> Great post Beth, I was laughing all the way. Especially about the Chumbawumba and sharing the joy.
Buffie! Sacrelige! I love grits. :> Perhaps not Waffle House grits, but GOOD grits.
Had to LOL about the 'sploding yogurt cups. Yikes. And there is NO way to get that out of a car seat and even if it happened in the winter, come summer, you'll remember the yogurt. Ugh.
Brownone, I was LOL too about South of the Border. I HAVE stopped there and BTW I used it in my book that's coming out in June. It's so iconic, I couldn't leave it out of a chase scene along I-95. Grins.
I like driving, whether it's to a dog show 9 hours away, to see family, 5, 7, and 9 hours away, or to go to a writer's conference. Its just nice to have your own car. I also like hanging with the family, talking with my DH, and seeing the world at all different seasons. I do have to say though, thank goodness for the portable DVD players. :> A parent's best friend!
Joanie, congrats on the GR!
LOL, Suz! Your husband would fit right in with our road trips *g*
Susan, I've never taken a train - thanks for the recommendation! My kids were always fairly decent travelers (they had to be, we live in the middle of nowhere so going school shopping or to the zoo or an amusement park is at least a 2 hr drive) but I think they'd like a train. And when the teenagers start to bug me, it's nice to know early drinking (for me, not the kids) is encouraged ;-)
doglady, my dad was the same way about bathroom breaks. Of course, back then we didn't take snacks or drinks with us - probably for that reason *g* Although we did get to ride in the back of the station wagon w/o seat belts.
Great road trip stories, Rebekah! Although after moving once, I swore I'd never do so again (I'm rethinking that this winter - I'm tired of the snow and cold) so I can imagine your trips were a lot of work.
But I love the image of you all sitting on the side of the road!
Terrio, I agree about driving in Toronto. The drivers are crazy! And I had no idea about the kilometer thing either until my son pointed out that my speedometer actually has MPH and KPH. Not that anyone but me actually went the speed limit ;-)
The good thing was my son has no desire to drive in "City" traffic for a while *g*
I agree, Donna. There's no better place to discuss things with your kids than in the car *g* I don't allow my kids to bring their iPods or the DVD player if we're doing a short trip or if they're the only ones going with me (but I do let them pick the music we listen to)
My son and I had a really good time and I learned a few things about his life which is always good :-)
Claudia, I would've freaked out! I'm not so big on heights - luckily, neither is my husband. My son tends to drift to the left when he drives *g* I'll gently point out that he might want to move over a bit and let that nice, big, speeding eighteen wheeler have more room but he always ends up hugging the center line :-)
Oh, filmphan, can I go with you? You sound like my road trip twin *g* I tried to talk our own Bandita Tawny into a road trip with me by telling her how much fun it was and how we'd have snacks and I'd sing along to every song but for some reason, she wasn't interested :-)
Cassondra, my son is a budding musician and we've told him to make sure he does his touring early in life (pre-marriage) or else he might not enjoy it as much. And though he can't imagine getting tired of it, we've warned him the allure of living out of a suitcase might fade *g*
Our favorite restaurant is only 45 miles away but it's in the middle of nowhere out on a country road. It's super popular though and there's always people waiting in line.
Sadly, we have no diners in our immediate area so I have to make our own greasy burgers :-)
Alice, kids are so picky about being stuck in a car without anything to do, aren't they? *g* I used to promise mine great rewards when we got wherever we were going as long as they didn't drive me insane during the trip :-)
Brownone, we did stop at South Of The Border when we went to Orlando! I honestly don't remember much about it except for Pedro *ggg*
Ah, Jeanne, a road tripper after my own heart! Although you'll have to share the secret to good grits. I'm just not sure it's possible ;-)
And I love that you mention South of the Border in Dark and Dangerous! I can't wait to read it *g*
Beth yes we do have nice diners and you can tell the best ones by the number of trucks parked out the front the truckies know the best ones.
Have Fun
Helen
WAY TO GO, Joanie!
And SNORK to Caren on the gingerbread men comment.
Fun post, Beth, but I agree with Madame DW -- I just wanna GET THERE! Though I love to drive around and see all the sights once I DO get there.
My dad was like yours too, Beth (he even had a daughter named Beth!) when he stopped for gas you better do ALL YOUR BUSINESS coz he wouldn't stop again until the gas gauge was on E! Ah those summer drives from California to east Texas, with me, my sister and brother all squeezed in the back seat, and baby bro squeezed between my parents in the front. My favorite memory is of my sister whining, "MOM! Cindy's LOOKING at me!" (evil grin)
So now I fly as much as possible to my final destinations, but I'm still not above LOOKING at other passengers if they bother me.
AC
Yeah. I dig road trips. On my bike. Long, winding, twisting road trips. I've gotten on my bike and ridden until half my wallet was spent on gas. Then I'd turn around and ride back. For me, it's solitary zen. And you'll not catch me on those big highways. Winding mountain two-lanes are the real road. And you'll see parts of America that you thought were long past.
It's possible to drive from Boston to San Diego using only Exxon gas and eating only McDonalds. Why anyone would want to is beyond me. Find those back-roads. In WV, those back-roads will allow you to discover that driving is not a skill. It's not a chore. It's not "simply something everyone must do." Driving is an art. And driving or riding these roads it is an art which itself is performed with some of the world's most beautiful scenes as your canvas, dropcloth, and backdrop.
Joanie, go you! Keep him away from your peeps, though. They'll rot his teeth. Roosters have teeth, right? ;-)
Beth, you brought back so many memories for me! You know everyone in Los Angeles is in love with their car so road trips have always been a big hit for me. I can't tell you how many trips up and down the coast my friends and I took during college, stopping at all the schools along the way to visit friends. Santa Barbara, Cal Poly, Santa Cruz.
And uh...hitchhiking? Yeah, we did that, too. I seriously don't know how I survived my youth!
And music. I'm about to date myself, but Bruce Hornsby's music always reminds me of driving down Highway 1 through Big Sur. And ::gulp:: John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" was a hit the first time I ever drove cross country. Right, I was, er, three years old. Yeah, that's it!
Beth, what a great post! I love a good car trip. There's nothing like plotting and driving on the highway. It just doesn't work as well in the city/suburbs. I'm not really much of a snack in the car person. My kids will eat anything that's packed from potato chips to cereal.
And don't you just love how the teens are getting into the rock we used to listen too? My son asked me the other day if I knew who Rush was. Well, yeah.
Kate, Rooster teeth are "scarce as hen's teeth". He must have already had too many peeps.
Joan, congratulations on the GR! Beth, great post. Especially sharing the joy of Chumbawumba. And sadly, I DOOO remember them. Australia is the home of the road trip - we're such a car culture. There were a lot when I was a kid - I was a pain to travel with as I have a bladder the size of a walnut and anyone travelling with me has to spend most of the trip hopping from public toilet to public toilet. Too much information? One memorable trip involved a fellow Les Miserables geek. We sang that cast album the whole way. "I have a dream" - I'm sure our fellow motorists had a dream where we weren't anywhere near them!
P226, I LOVE those West VA roads! They are GORGEOUS. Anything that takes me along Wolf Creek, lets me see eagles soaring, slag piles burning, and glimpse "the bones of the Dragon" craggy and sharp among the laurels is worth the gas. :> It would be waaaaay cool to see it on a bike.
Anna, so had to LOL about the Les Mis trip. :> My DH went with me to see Sweeny Todd for my b-day in December (An Oscar for Johnny! An oscar for Johnny!). Well, now he's hooked, but we can't sing it or Jesus Christ Superstar around the kids. He said just the other day "We need a road trip, just us, so we can sing the stuff the kids aren't allowed to hear." He just doesn't want the 7 year old singing about razors and meat pies. Can you imagine "Good Caiphas, they're right ourside our yard..." coming from the 3 year old? And they both luuurrrrve to sing...wonder where they got that from?
Yah, Joanie! Great topic, Beth!
I have another dirty little secret. I LOVE road trips EXCEPT with my husband. He never lets me drive, he drives FAST, he NEVER stops for a break, and he doesn't chatter ninety miles a minutes.
When I take road trips I want to go with my daughters. We stop every two hours whether we need to or not, we sing, we laugh. It's so much fun.
My favorite road trips, however, we trips home from college for Christmas or summer -- 2400 miles! And we drove 6 to a car and straight through -- 50 hours, but it was so exciting!
Hehee... I loved Chumbawamba. I hate road trips.
hate hate hate them.
We live smack in the middle of both my parents. Mom and entire rest of the family are north 600 miles, Dad and Vegas (oooh, pretty lights) are south 600 miles. We do a lot of road trips. I prefer dentists visits, to be honest.
Did I mention I hate road trips?
Sorry to snatch and run! It was the middle of the night, the GR and Demetrius were so thrilled to see each other they stayed up the rest of the night yaking...and all Peeps are accounted for.
The only road trips we took as a kid were to Florida twice. As an adult I discovered PLANES and pretty much travel that way all the time now.
However, back before the Atlanta conference, my 3 CP's and I decided we would leave a few days early and drive to Charleston. Having the "bridge phobia" I didn't have to drive but I LOVED driving all through the Smoky Mountains, NC, SC.
My CP's were the kind who just wanted to snack and they FINALLY stopped at a Subway store and breakfast? (sigh) only something fast like donut holes or Mickey D's (I LOVE eating breakfast out on vacation.
Jeanne....I too can sing the entire score of Jesus Christ Superstar AND Josepeh and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. "Go, go, go Joseph, you know what they say, hey now Joseph you'll make it some day..."
AC? Stop LOOKING at me!
Helen, that's how we pick the best restaurants/diners too *g* If there are very few cars/trucks in the parking lot during peak times, we just keep driving :-)
AC, my brothers are much older than I am so it was just me and my two sisters on trips with mom and dad. And yes, we had that back seat split in thirds and watch out if you touched my older sister's side *g*
The worst part was that my dad smoked a pipe - the smell was awful and accounted for many of my bouts of motion sickness :-P
P226, when we travel we try and hit as many non-franchise places as possible *g* And I love back and country roads! On the way back from Virginia we took a different route and ended up going through one small town after another. It took us about an hour longer but it was so worth it :-)
Kate, it is a dream of mine to cruise up and down the coast! And I can't believe you hitchiked! You were really brave or really crazy *g*
Christie, my son has been listening to Rush since he's been 2yrs old. No lie. I have video and pictures of him drumming along to Rush. He's a HUGE (and I mean HUGE) fan - especially of Neil Peart.
I do love that he listens to some good music though - AD/DC, Led Zeppelin, Queen - all the great classics *g*
Anna, my youngest and I have been taking the Hairspray soundtrack with us when we travel *g* We play it loud and sing along!
Jo, that is so funny about your husband! I love traveling with mine but he's definitely a cautious driver. He often looks at the speedometer when I'm behind the wheel and comments on my speed :-)
I do love traveling with my daughters as well *g*
Tawny, what if I promised to bring along a Chumbawamba CD? Would you like to go on a road trip with me then? Please?
;-)
Joan, I love breakfast out and I have no desire to eat at fast food places when I'm traveling. I like to try and find places that have a bit of flair and local flavor :-) Although the places we stop at are neve like the ones on Food Network!
Joanie,
I'm not looking at YOU! I'm looking at your green peeps! HAHAHAHA!
AC
humming JC Superstar
Peep envy, AC?
*BEG*
Okay okay, don't make me stop this car, ladies and p226! No peep eating in the car! To quote my father "Don't look at each other, don't breathe on each other, don't talk to each other, don't touch each other for the rest of your lives!!" If I had a quarter for every time my baby brother accused the other brother or I of looking at him I would NOT be working at Wal-Mart. There were some trips when the only denizen of the back of the Country Squire station wagon who did NOT get a spanking was Fritz, the dachshund!
Tawny, what if I promised to bring along a Chumbawamba CD? Would you like to go on a road trip with me then? Please?
*sigh*
fine... but I'll hate it.
but you have to promise to sing to me - a LOT!
and let me eat junk food.
and stop for real food without giving me the "omg you ate all that crap already, how can you possibly want real food?" look.
and not laugh at the fact that I refuse to wear makeup for roadtrips, but haul out the big case to do my face just before we arrive.
If you promise... then I'll invade Toronto with you :-)
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